When he turned up at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on 10 December, he had the aura, the crowds, what looked like a presidential smile and a traditional fly whisk to wave at his supporters, who had gathered to listen to him.
The last time a Kenyan politician used a fly whisk was in February 2020 – Raila waved it as he bade goodbye to Kenya’s second President Daniel Moi, whose body lay in state in parliament. Another politician who used the fly whisk was Raila’s father, Jaramogi Oginga, when he bade farewell to Kenya’s founding President Jomo Kenyatta following his death in August 1978.
This time round, however, Raila was not carrying a fly whisk for a state funeral – he was declaring his bid for the presidency. The significance of the fly whisk dates back to the days of Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta, who would greet people with his fly whisk. Oginga was Jomo’s first vice
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